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Memorial of Saints Cornelius, Pope, and Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs

Reading 1 : 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13

Brothers and sisters:
Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts.

But I shall show you a still more excellent way.

If I speak in human and angelic tongues
but do not have love,
I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal.
And if I have the gift of prophecy
and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge;
if I have all faith so as to move mountains,
but do not have love, I am nothing.
If I give away everything I own,
and if I hand my body over so that I may boast
but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind.
It is not jealous, love is not pompous,
it is not inflated, it is not rude,
it does not seek its own interests,
it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury,
it does not rejoice over wrongdoing
but rejoices with the truth.
It bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails.
If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing;
if tongues, they will cease;
if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing.
For we know partially and we prophesy partially,
but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.
When I was a child, I used to talk as a child,
think as a child, reason as a child;
when I became a man, I put aside childish things.
At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror,
but then face to face.
At present I know partially;
then I shall know fully, as I am fully known.
So faith, hope, love remain, these three;
but the greatest of these is love.

Responsorial Psalm : Psalm 33:2-3, 4-5, 12 and 22

R. (12) Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
with the ten stringed lyre chant his praises.
Sing to him a new song;
pluck the strings skillfully, with shouts of gladness.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
For upright is the word of the LORD,
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us
who have put our hope in you.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

Alleluia : See John 6:63c, 68c

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life,
you have the words of everlasting life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel : Luke 7:31-35

Jesus said to the crowds:
“To what shall I compare the people of this generation?
What are they like?
They are like children who sit in the marketplace and call to one another,

‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance.
We sang a dirge, but you did not weep.’

For John the Baptist came neither eating food nor drinking wine,
and you said, ‘He is possessed by a demon.’
The Son of Man came eating and drinking and you said,
‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard,
a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’
But wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”

Message from the Readings

Today’s readings proclaim a foundational truth:
The Gospel is not just a message — it is the power that saves, strengthens, and transforms us.
• Paul urges believers to hold fast to the Gospel.
• The psalm celebrates God’s enduring mercy and saving power.
• Together, they remind us that faith is built on Christ’s death and resurrection, and sustained by God’s grace.
The message is clear: Grace is the reason we stand, the reason we believe, and the reason we live.

Reflection for the Day

Paul speaks with urgency and tenderness:
“I am reminding you of the Gospel… in which you also stand.”
He knows how easy it is for believers to drift, to forget, or to take the Gospel for granted. So he brings them back to the center:
• Christ died for our sins.
• Christ was buried.
• Christ rose on the third day.
• Christ appeared to many witnesses.
This is not theory — it is history, truth, and salvation.
Paul then shares something deeply personal:
“By the grace of God I am what I am.”
He remembers his past: persecutor, enemy of the Church, unworthy. Yet grace transformed him. Grace empowered him. Grace made him an apostle.
His life becomes a testimony that no one is beyond God’s reach.
Psalm 118 echoes this theme:
“I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.”
God’s mercy is not temporary — it endures forever. His saving power lifts us from fear, guilt, and despair into life, hope, and purpose.
Today’s readings invite us to three movements:

1. Return to the heart of the Gospel.
   Let Christ’s death and resurrection be your anchor.
2. Stand firm in grace.
   Your identity is not your past — it is God’s mercy.
3. Declare God’s works.
   Let your life be a witness of His saving power.
   Let today be a day of gratitude, clarity, and renewed faith in the Gospel.

Prayer for Today

Lord Jesus, thank You for the Gospel that saves me and for the grace that sustains me.
Remind me daily of Your death and resurrection, and help me stand firm in Your truth.
Free me from fear, strengthen me with hope, and make my life a testimony of Your enduring mercy.
Amen.